The following "Question" was asked by a member of the congregation at Grace Community Church in Panorama City, California, and "Answered" by their pastor, John MacArthur Jr. It was transcribed from the tape, GC 70-13, titled "Bible Questions and Answers."  A copy of the tape can be obtained by writing, Word of Grace, P.O. Box 4000, Panorama City, CA 91412 or by dialing toll free 1-800-55-GRACE. Copyright 1992 by John MacArthur Jr., All Rights Reserved.

Question

I’d like you to comment on a teaching that Jesus descended after His crucifixion into Hell, that He had to suffer down there.

Answer

Yes, that’s Kenneth Copeland, Kenneth Hagen stuff. And that’s not true. They have been saying all kinds of bizarre stuff. I deal with that in my book called Charismatic Chaos. That is more of the terrible, gross error that has come out of Kenneth Hagen, Kenneth Copeland--that whole group of people, the word-faith movement…that Jesus somehow had to go to Hell to atone for sin.

First of all, it says that when He was on the cross hanging there, He said, “It is finished.” He didn’t say, “I am finished.” He said, “It is finished.” And, there’s a big difference, right? And, there’s nothing in the scripture that says He went down there and suffered.

What it does say--what it does say…Peter tells us that Christ, in His flesh, was in a grave. His spirit went and preached to the spirits in prison. And I believe that is a reference to the demons that are in the pit, Tartarus, the place of bound demons. And I believe while His body was in the grave, He was alive--His spirit was alive. And He descended into that place and while Hell was having a party celebrating His death, He showed up to tell them that He was alive and had conquered. And He proclaimed His triumph to them.

Colossians 2 says the same thing, “He made principalities and powers subject to Himself.” There they were celebrating His death, and He showed up to mess up their party and to tell them that He was alive. It was triumphant arrival; not one in which He had to suffer in Hell to atone for sin. That is a blasphemous teaching that miscomprehends and misrepresents the atonement on the cross.

Added to Bible Bulletin Board's "MacArthur’s Questions and Answers" by:

Tony Capoccia
Bible Bulletin Board
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